US President Barack Obama touched down at an Italian air force base near Rome on Wednesday for the three-day G8 summit, which involves the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the US.

This afternoon leaders will discuss climate change and energy. Ahead of the meeting protesters scaled the chimneys of four Italian coal fired power stations. More than 100 activists occupied power stations to demand tougher action against climate change, according to Greenpeace.

Yesterday, the environment organisation staged a stunt in Paris, attracting the media and members of the public with a large inflatable iceberg in the river Seine. But the AFP news agency quoted an anonymous EU official as saying on Wednesday that rich countries have already dropped a pledge to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Ahead of the summit the Pope and wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for leaders to ensure that Africa is not forgotten when the G8 makes decisions to protect their economies against the financial crisis.

Pope Benedict met with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, who is a Roman Catholic, on Tuesday to discuss the economic crisis and the impact on Africa.

The Vatican press said, “the good relations between Japan and the Holy See were noted.”

Elsewhere, in Britain's Guardian newspaper, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, said leaders must build on the achievements of the 2001 G8 meeting in Genoa when a fund was established to fight Aids, tuberculosis and malaria.